FIA keeps Red Bull Racing in suspense over controversial decision

ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) is a system introduced by the FIA as part of Formula 1's 2026 power unit regulations. It gives engine manufacturers that are clearly behind in terms of the internal combustion engine additional opportunities to improve their power units, including extra testing time and further development allowances. The FIA assesses manufacturers three times during the season to determine who qualifies, with the first evaluation having taken place after the Canadian Grand Prix.

The goal of ADUO is to bring the performance of the various engine suppliers closer together and prevent any single manufacturer from enjoying a significant advantage for too long. While many assumed Mercedes was the benchmark, the first evaluation identified Red Bull Ford as the manufacturer with the strongest internal combustion engine. That conclusion caused considerable frustration at Red Bull Racing, the team for which Max Verstappen competes.

"We’re completely okay with the fact that the rule states that you should only try to estimate the pecking order on the ICE (internal combustion engine) power," Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies explained last weekend to, among others, GPblog. "We are completely okay with that. We have all agreed to that and we don't think that is the issue. Where we would like to have a deeper conversation is because we don't see one single data sample that indicates that we would have an advantage over our friends at Mercedes."

Mekies stated that the FIA must be absolutely certain that Red Bull Ford indeed has the strongest internal combustion engine. He also didn’t understand why the team chasing the dominant Mercedes is ranked higher. "Especially when you see relative performance variations from track layout to track layout that is perfectly consistent with ICE power sensitivity.

During the race weekend in Monaco, Red Bull had already urged the FIA to take another close look at the available data. This request was not an appeal, as that is not possible. However, the FIA did promise in Monte Carlo that it would review the figures again. That does not necessarily mean a different verdict will follow.

GPblog understands that the evaluation process is still in full swing and that, after more than a week and a half, it is still unknown when the final results will be shared with Red Bull, the other F1 teams, and the public.